Review of Fairy Tail

This anime is a perfect example to show that whenever you watch something, the question is not "is it enjoyable?", but "HOW do you enjoy it?". This show is probably the most hated AND the most loved anime ever. How can this be? Well, that's because there is the worst AND the best that you can find in japanimation. So if you want to enjoy it, you must not focus too much of the many flaws. Long story short, Fairy Tail is an average shônen battle show (like Dragon Ball), with bad visuals and animation, but with awesome music and a lot of comedy. So, you won't likeit if you want a clever story. BUT the very first episodes should be enough to make you understand that this show is NOT about the story.
It's about having fun, no more, no less.

This is why the characters are dumb, the story feels parodic, and the overall atmosphere is very positive (even too much sometimes).
It's ALL about making a fun and positive mood, and that's why many people love it.

STORY :
Unlike what can be said, there is a lot of story. Most of it is not very good as it is nothing original, and overall poorly written. But it does get great moments.
Personally, I loved the background of this story (about Zeref the Black Mage, about the creation of Fairy Tail, about the Dragon King Festival, and so on).
Besides, many characters have an interesting background as well, which makes them real enough to be enjoyable (unlike what can be heard, those characters aren't just clichés).

ART :
For a 2009 anime, it sucks, period. Ugly environments, poor chara-design, poor animation. Nothing to argue here. The environments are better in the 2014 version, but the animation is even worse than before and the eyes are really weird (too big and often hide the hair when it's supposed to be the opposite).

SOUND :
If the visuals are far from impressive, this anime makes up for it with the sound. Great seiyuus, great OST, great openings. Again, nothing to argue here. It's great, period.

CHARACTERS :
As I stated above, many characters have some background. This is more than enough to make them a little deep (not that much, but it's still better than many other anime out there!). Besides, some characters are real badass. Erza is still one of the BEST anime characters ever.
Sure, many of those characters are clichés. We can find the dumb naive badass hero (just like Goku, Ash Ketchum, Naruto, and almost any other long shônen hero), the cute and shy little girl, the hero's rival, ...
Although this is true, it doesn't erase the fact that the characters are deep enough (of course it could have been better), that they are fun to be around, that they are badass.

ENJOYMENT :
As I said, the question is "how do you enjoy this show?". Well, you sure have to be quite tolerant for that xD! After all, Fairy Tail has among the worst AND the best of what you can find in japanimation.
The visuals are horrible, but the sounds are really great.
The characters are cliché, but they are fun to watch.
The story is poorly written, but it does get very interesting sometimes (especially when it comes to the background).

As a conclusion, Fairy Tail is an anime for those who do not seek "food for thought". It is fairly enjoyable if you just watch it as a comedy, because it is very funny and the OST is here to back up each episode.
Anyone who says this is the best anime ever is naive. But so is anyone saying it's the worst.